Ewing Township Recreation Commission

Minutes of Meeting Held on November 10, 2008

Present: Lyn Scott Mike Slack Karen Bauer

Mark Hazzard Jeff Bourne Ted Forst
Bruce Angebranndt Faye Ball Linda Coulton
Mike VanWagner

Absent: Tom Gioscio Nevel Jones

On November 10, 2008, the Ewing Township Recreation Commission

held a special meeting for league presidents in the Ewing Senior & Community Center at
7:00 pm.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 by Chairman Mike Slack. Mike greeted each of
the presidents in attendance and thanked them for coming. He asked each of them to
discuss their league’s financial position, their past or upcoming seasons and also to let the
Recreation Commission know of any concerns that they might have.

Evelyn Bohr – Ewing Junior Blue Devils Tackle Football

Ms. Bohr said that the league is doing well financially, and that they did receive some
money from the township. They have tag days at area stores and other fundraising
activities. She stated that Ewing is losing some potential football players to Hopewell
because there is no league for younger players. Her league is for 5th – 8th graders. She
has spoken to Tom Gioscio in this regard. The league has considered combining with
flag football, but they have not spoken to the flag football league yet. She does not want
to lose more Ewing players to other towns. There are approximately 80 players in the
league this year.

Ms. Bohr mentioned that the league would like to have its own field. She noted that the
field on Eggert’s Crossing Rd. in Lawrence was funded in part by an NFL grant. The Jr.
Blue Devils currently use the field at Fisher Middle School. The heavyweight team was
offered the use of the turf field at the high school, but only on Sunday with the stipulation
that the league pay for the janitor in the high school and to have the gates opened. The
cost was too prohibitive to the league. She stated that the league receives very little
support from the high school and its football coaches, even though she has approached
them numerous times and asked for the coach to talk to her players or watch them play.
In addition, she tried to get permission for her league’s state championship game to be
played on the turf field, but was told by the athletic director that there should be no non-
Ewing games played there. (It was then noted that 2 non-Ewing high school teams played
soccer on the turf field.)

Jeff Bourne suggested that the Recreation Commission address Mr. Kowal in this regard.
Mark Smith – Ewing Summer Basketball
All financial reporting for the league is done by Tom Gioscio. Mr. Smith stated that the
league is now getting a lot of recognition, and is one of the top 50 summer basketball
leagues in the country. There are 12 boys high school teams, 10 girls high school teams,
10 middle school teams and 10 elementary school teams with a total of 300 – 400
participants. This past year there were 2 Ewing High girls teams (1 Varsity and 1
JV/Freshman), although he too noted that there is little cooperation with the high school
and its coaches. Out-of-town teams are charged a different rate. Referee fees are $35 for
high school games, $30 for the younger teams. All referees are certified. He is also
helping to improve the training of the referees.

He would like to have the courts repainted, noting that there were gang signs painted on
the courts this past summer. He would also like larger permanent bleachers since there
are 400 – 500 people in attendance each night for games. The current bleachers are not
nearly large enough.

Wes LeBar – Ewing Girls Travel Soccer

There are currently 7 active teams, with only approximately one non-resident per team.
He noted that there may be a high school team playing in the spring. He submitted a
financial statement to the Recreation Commission but noted that it may be misleading
since it represents a calendar year and not a full season. Mr. LeBar said that there are
enough players for now and he is working with EGSA to develop players. He likes the
idea of a coordinated effort between the leagues.

He praised Nibby, Tom and Angelo for the great condition of the fields and their
responsiveness to the league’s needs.

Mr. LeBar gave a copy of a proposed Board of Education field use policy to the
Commission that stated in part that there are to be no practices on the turf field outside of
high school events and that use of the field for special events is to be decided by Tom
Gioscio. This has not yet been adopted by the Board of Education. Mike Slack stated
that the field use should include sharing the field for use by travel or recreation teams.

Jeff Bourne noted that he is still working on a joint effort between all of the soccer
leagues in the township, and all agreed that prior meetings have been productive. Lyn
thanked Jeff for his efforts.

Mr. LeBar also noted that for the 3rd season in a row, a Ewing girls travel soccer team has
won the sportsmanship award, with this season’s award going to Mike Gummel’s Ewing
Hawks (11U team).
Megan Lipski – Ewing Girls Soccer Association
There were about 300 participants this past season, and the league has seen a decrease in
participation over the years. In the oldest division, there were 4 Ewing teams of 17
players each. In addition, there were 2 teams from Lawrence and 2 from Hopewell in
that division. Games were played in all 3 towns.

This year, each team was assigned a date to work the concession stand. If there were no
parent volunteers present when the game was supposed to begin, the team would have to
forfeit. There was a good response from the parents. Megan also thanked Jeff Bourne
for bringing the soccer leagues together for discussions, and Nibby, Tom and Angelo for
their work on the fields. She would like someone to look at the lights on the left side of
the field and replace any nonfunctioning bulbs. Megan is stepping down as league
president after this season.

Fred Walters – American Legion Baseball

The Ewing team finished 6th in its division, and ended up going to the state tournament.
Tournament games are 9 innings long as opposed to the 7 inning regular season games.
He praised his young pitchers (age 16, 17 and 16) for their performance as the team won
3 games in a row, but then lost before going to the quarter finals which were played at
Moody Park. There were 18 players on the team. He noted that Hopewell lost its
franchise for its Legion team, and that 2 players from Hopewell played on Ewing’s Junior
Legion team. The Junior Legion team was started last season and had 17 players on the
roster. He said that there were 12 teams in the league, and that it was very competitive,
but fun.

The quarter finals of the state tournament were held at Moody Park. Officials and teams
are very happy with the facility and ask to play there, calling it a “jewel” of a park. The
league makes a lot of money from the concession stand, especially during tournaments.

Mr. Walters had favorable things to say about his league’s relationship with Ewing High
School. He noted that Legion uses EHS for practices, and when the backstop was
broken, his league bought a new backstop at a cost of approximately $3,500. He has also
had cooperation with the school board noting that Legion used their fencing for the
tournament.

Mike Unger – West End Soccer

Mr. Unger stated that they had a great season, and that enrollment numbers were up a
little this year. Their U10 and U12 travel teams switched from the South Jersey league to
a mid-Jersey league and were very successful. Those teams have 100% Ewing residents.

For the recreation league, the oldest division usually sees a decrease in the number of
players. In the past, they had a team from Lawrence join this division, but that team
declined this year. Being left with only 3 teams, they decided to change this division to a
7 v. 7 league, and the change was met with great success. The players exhibited great
sportsmanship and truly enjoyed themselves. They played on Saturday and Sunday
evenings at 5pm and 6:15.
Mr. Unger stated that the West End fields have been used by unpermitted teams noting
that on one Saturday there were approximately 250 players and spectators along with
referees on the field when the West End teams were to play. On one occasion, the police
had to be called to remove the teams. Ted Forst stated that he has tried to cultivate a
relationship with these teams over the years, and many do apply for permits, however,
there are still teams that try to use the fields without permission. Mr. Unger also stated
that he would like to see a coordinated effort to rest the fields.

In addition, Bruce Angebranndt would like to begin scheduling indoor soccer and will get
information to the township soccer leagues.

Dan Faber and Rob Howland – National Junior Tennis League of Trenton
Mr. Faber stated that the summer league is held at Moody Park and the courts at Ewing
High School. Last year there were over 200 children involved. They do not charge a fee,
but ask for a donation of $50 per person or $90 per family. If a family can not afford this,
they are asked to pay a smaller amount, but none is required. The elite team played at
Cadwalader Park and enjoyed a trip to the US Open. The NJTL also was involved with
the summer camp at the ESCC this summer.

He noted that the township maintenance department has been very helpful. He would
like to see the cracks filled at the Moody Park courts, noting that the cracks were so bad
that they could not play a tournament there and had to use the Ewing High School courts
instead. He stated that the USTA has grants available for facility improvement, and may
be able to help with the cracks in the Moody courts.

He has been trying to work to secure storage space at Ewing High, but has not been
successful. Ted Forst offered to try to help with the storage (along with storage for
football as well).

Mr. Faber said that would like to expand the program to include an adult program. He
would also like an indoor facility since there are not enough courts at Mercer County
Park. He asked for a power outlet at Moody Park, and offered to take the small
bleachers from the basketball court if those are replaced with the larger ones requested by
Mark Smith.

Lyn Scott asked if the league brought their financial information. Mr. Faber noted that he
did not, but could provide it. He said that they are a 503(c)(3) organization, and that they
receive a $1,000 cosponsorship fee from the township.

Lisa Bearden – Ewing Girls Softball Association

There were over 400 girls registered last season. They had great registration numbers for
divisions 1, 2 and 3, however the oldest division, division 4, only had 3 Ewing teams, so
they invited teams from both Lawrence, Princeton and Hopewell.

Lisa noted several maintenance items that the league would like to see addressed: leaks
in the bathroom, kitchen sink leaks, and the drain is clogged, and the concession stand
and the bathrooms need to be painted.

She is looking into hiring someone to clean the bathrooms and would like to split the fee
with those organizations that use the facility. (Karen Bauer noted that she pays $70 per
week for twice weekly bathroom cleaning.) Lisa noted that the bathrooms are left in
terrible condition after the Trentonian tournament, and also when other groups use the
fields as well. She said that perhaps EGSA can lock the bathrooms and insist that other
groups use port-o-johns.

The league receives no money from the township, but makes all of their money from the
concession stand. Lyn Scott pointed out that the fee for nonresidents is $25, not $5 as
shown on the financial sheet. Lisa stated that she did not believe that there were any non-
Ewing residents in the league.

The EGSA is looking to redo the fields and splitting the cost of the dirt/sand with the
Ewing Edge. She is hoping that the township would help with the installation and
maintenance. Ted Forst asked that Hank Zuczek compile a list of all maintenance and
field items to be addressed and send it to him via email.

Bill McDonald – Ewing Edge Travel Softball Organization

There were 6 teams this past summer. The U10 and U12 teams had their most successful
seasons.

The Edge hosted an ASA National Qualifying tournament with 20 teams from PA, NY
and MD. Several stayed at the Marriott in town. They also hosted a 16 team PONY
National Qualifying tournament. Both tournaments were successful and teams noted that
they would like to return in the future. He noted that at the 16U and 18U level, there are
not many Ewing players even though these teams are very successful. These teams are
invited to college showcase tournaments, however, the Ewing High School team
members do not participate in travel softball. At the lower ages, there is almost a 100%
Ewing resident rate.

Bill addressed the issue of “playing up” noting that there were several parents who
complained that their daughters were not allowed to play at a higher level because of
their age. He stated that many years ago, girls were allowed to play up based on skill
level, but parents complained if their daughters were not chosen. Since that time, the
Edge has maintained the policy of not allowing a girl to play at a higher age level if there
is a team available at her age-appropriate level. The only exception in the rules is that a
girl may play at a higher level if she is on her high school varsity team. The league uses
the ASA age cutoff date of January 1st. Bill noted that his league has a good relationship
with EGSA and there are no problems between the leagues with respect to the fields,
batting cages, etc.

Karen Bauer – Ewing Little League

There were 325 participants last season, all were Ewing residents. There were 6 Major
teams, 8 Minor teams and 8 Rookie teams. There will be 32 Little League graduates
eligible to play in the Babe Ruth next year. Little League will host the tournament of
champions this year. Umpires for the league cost $35 each if there are 2 umpires, or $50
for one umpire.

They are sponsoring a 7 week clinic on power pitching and hitting for 75 participants at a
cost of $1,000 to the league. The cost will not be passed on to the participants. She said
that there are 13 members on the board.
The league has great concession stand revenue. She noted that they have the same policy
as soccer – if there are no parents working in the concession stand, the baseball game will
not be played. There is a concession stand buy-out available at a cost of $25.

They have raised approximately $15,000 for the rebuilding of Fasolino field. She hopes
to have $80,000 – $90,000 in total, and hopes to have the project completed in 2011. The
league is meeting with the owners of the adjacent apartment complex in the hopes that
the owners will allow the league to obtain the parcel of unused land next to the field.

The meeting adjourned at 9:15pm. The next meeting will be Monday, November 17th,
7pm at the ESCC.

Summary of items to be addressed:

Ewing Junior Blue Devils
• Storage space
• Access to turf field
• Cooperation with High School
Summer Basketball
• Courts repainted to remove gang signs
• Larger bleachers to accommodate nightly crowds
Ewing Girls Travel Soccer
• Discussion of field use policy with Board of Education
Ewing Girls Soccer Association
• Replace lightbulbs on left side of field
West End Soccer Association
• Develop schedule to rest fields
• Address non-permitted field use by adult teams
NJTL of Trenton
• Fix cracks in courts at Moody Park
• Storage space at High School
Ewing Girls Softball Association
• Fix leaks in bathroom and kitchen sink
• Unclog drain in kitchen
• Paint bathrooms and concession stand
• Cooperate with township to redo fields

The next meeting is November 17th at 7:00pm at the Ewing Senior & Community
Center.

Respectfully submitted,

Stacie Rinaldi, Secretary